CNG Station Owners Warn Of Protests

CNG Station Owners Warn Of Protests

CNG Station Owners Warn Of Protests

ALL Pakistan CNG Association Chairman Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha appealed to Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to exempt the CNG sector from gas loadshedding otherwise a new wave of endless protests could emerge countrywide and the government would be responsible for it.

According to a press release here on Monday, he said the gas loadshedding to CNG filling stations had only increased the problems for public but did not decrease electricity loadshedding. The CNG sector uses only 7 percent of total gas which can generate only 2 pc of electricity, he said.

Nowadays only Punjab province is being disturbed by this loadshedding and 2,000 CNG station owners are directly bearing losses.

There is no benefit for public and government of CNG load shedding, Paracha said, adding that the gas of CNG stations was being supplied to Pepco while heavy rainfalls could give cheaper electricity from hydel power generation but the whole country was being affected by particular persons and institutions for their vested interests.

Winter season brings shortage in gas supply and it breaks the gas pressure which causes losses to the CNG sector and if the Gas Curtailment Plan continues it will affect the whole country badly because three million vehicles are running on CNG and about 25 million people will be directly affected by it, Paracha said.

He said increase in transport fare would create new issues. Paracha told to media persons, “We have briefed the government officials that CNG sector is facing huge losses due to raise in price of electricity and its load shedding and unannounced increase in gas tariff and increase in taxes and government fees.” Paracha appealed to the prime minister to exempt CNG sector from gas load shedding to provide cheap means of travel and goods transportation to people.

He also said the prime minster should give the CNG sector representatives time for a meeting in which they could give him suggestions to overcome energy crisis.